“The Purple Pit Cigarette Girl” by Charles Rammelkamp

POETRY: “I snicker now, the announcement of the Nobel Prize Chemistry Award winners having jogged my memory, as I hobble behind my aluminum walker…. “

“Faith, Sport, and Tragedy: Don’t Know Tough” by William Blick

BOOK REVIEW: “As deadly serious as an infected a wound that Billy and people like him live with every day. No humorous anecdotes here. The novel is consistently tragic….”

Preview: “The Surveillance Economy of David Fincher’s The Killer” by David Ryan

ESSAY EXCERPT: “The Killer argues that no matter how much security wealth buys or the number of datalocks that conglomerates build, these defenses can be poked and usurped by determined criminals. Conversely, no matter how clandestine criminal cells are organized, they can be destroyed, particularly from within….”

“The Amazing Elasticity of Neo-Noir: Silent as the Grave (2023)” by William Blick

REVIEW: “Dan Gremeley and Brad Padowski’s new release shows the glory of the ever-independent neo-noir film that will be around for a long time….”

“La Chienne: Renoir Begins (Preview)” by Christopher Sharrett

REVIEW: “While the film is credited with bringing German Expressionism to French cinema and thus another step toward film noir, the film is notable for its sense of stillness….”

“The Dance of the Bashful Bride” by Charles Rammelkamp

POETRY: “The face that launched a thousand anti-sub sorties,” / Grandad quipped, and Grandma rolled her eyes….”

Somebody’s Done For by David Goodis (Excerpt)

NOVEL EXCERPT: “What it all amounts to, he told himself, is you’re not in shape for a deal like this. You get involved in this sort of thing, you should be properly prepared. I mean mentally, too. It’s a cinch you’re not prepared mentally, because now I’d say you’re just about ready to give up….”

“In the World of Pre-Code: Geoffrey O’Brien on Arabian Nights of 1934” (Excerpt)

INTERVIEW EXCERPT: “The book moves through different genres and, finally, through different historical moments, gradually emerging from the alternate world of movies into the worlds of movie-making and movie-watching, as if finally coming out of the theater after a day at the pictures.”….”